Another 146 low-cost air quality monitors will be installed around London, after Sadiq Khan and Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies, announced a joint a £2.8m investment to fund the next phase of the Breathe London programme.
The funding will expand access to real-time, hyperlocal air pollution data, allowing Londoners to better understand and act on the air quality in their neighbourhoods.
When Breathe London began in 2018 it was intended as a one-year programme jointly run by the GLA alongside C40 Cities and was primarily financed by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).
When the CIFF funding for the project ended in 2021, the Mayor secured more to continue the programme, which led to it becoming what it is today.
The initiative has made real-time air pollution data publicly available online, providing vital insights into London’s environmental health. It also helped inspire Breathe Cities, a global clean air initiative launched during London Climate Action Week 2023 in collaboration with C40 Cities, Clean Air Fund, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
In the programme’s first phase, 60 community groups across 24 boroughs received low-cost air quality sensors, creating a grassroots network of residents monitoring pollution levels and advocating for cleaner air in their local areas.
The benefits of the Breathe London scheme to the community groups are many, but being backed by Imperial College’s Environmental Research Group is chief among them, lending them credibility when they present their data to local authorities.
The new phase of Breathe London will expand this effort further. It introduces an enhanced public engagement programme, including working groups for schools, hospitals, local councils, and community organisations, along with annual webinars and in-person training. A relaunched website went live earlier today, offering real-time air quality data alongside tools and guidance for community-led action.
Over the next four years, this phase will be delivered by a consortium of leading experts convened by Vodafone, including Global Action Plan, Airly, Ricardo, Scotswolds Ltd, CERC, and the University of Cambridge. Together, they will install 146 new sensors, including 10 near Oxford Street to monitor the impact of its upcoming pedestrianisation.
The Breathe London Community Programme, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, will be led by Imperial College London, The Social Innovation Partnership, and Clean Air Fund. Imperial will also continue managing 215 existing community-based sensors. Altogether, around 350 sensors will now be active across London, making this one of the most comprehensive urban air monitoring networks in the world.
Michael R. Bloomberg, who is also the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, said: ‘Under Sadiq Khan’s leadership, London has become a model for how local governments can use technology and data to drive progress cleaning the air. This expansion of Breathe London will give Londoners access to more real-time air quality data, empowering them with critical public health information and helping leaders create policies that will save lives in London and set an example for cities around the world.’
Jane Burston, CEO of Clean Air Fund said: ‘A future where people in London and beyond breathe cleaner air is within our grasp. When we founded Breathe Cities, we wanted to enable access to vital air quality data and unlock the power of cities to work together for greater, faster action. It’s happening, through our continued collaboration with Breathe London and other global cities,” “Breathe Cities is now supporting cities from Nairobi to Warsaw to clean their air, cut carbon emissions and enhance public health.’
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